Separator

ABSTRACT

A vertically extended cylindrical vessel has an inlet for a mixture of fluidized materials arranged to develop centrifugal force upon the mixture. The mixture descends between the outside of an inverted cup structure mounted symmetrically within the vessel and the interior wall of the vessel. The flow of the lighter material phase of the mixture is reversed and removed near the top of the cup interior. The heavier material phase of the mixture continues to travel down the vessel wall interior and is removed near the bottom of the vessel.

[451 Apr. 10, 1973 United States Patent [191 Lowrie 9/1960 7/1962Hume........

8/1931 McGee.......... 2/1933 Raymond...... 12/1969 Willis et SEPARATORInventor: Neely E. Lowrie, Tulsa, Okla.

[73] Assignee: Combustion Engineering, Inc., New

York, NY.

P imary Examiner-Bernard Nozick Aztorney-Arthur L. Wade [22] Filed: Nov.3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 86,559

[57] ABSTRACT A vertically extended cylindrical vessel has an inlet fora mixture of fluidized materials arran centrifugal force upon themixture.

ged to develop 0mm 5/ 2 W4 2M9 90 8 a 5B 41 ll 5 5 5 9 5 M m M2 5 "n 5m" u r m .m In Cl 0 W d 5mm UIF MUN 555 The mixture descends between theoutside of an inverted cu structure mounted symmetrical] pdfid n a V igOm e 6 vm 6:1 m H mo Me n the interior wall of the vessel. material phaseof the mixture is reversed and re l M Wm 2 0. 5 4 00. M w 2 uh 4 C 9 m 3m 5 W O f. 2 e 5 R 5 near the top of the cup interior. The heaviermaterial phase of the mixture continues to travel down the ves- UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1,069,048 7/1913 Wetherbee..........................20/2ll 2,098,608 11/1937 2,565,343 8/1951 2,852,091 9/1958 sel wallinterior and is removed near the bottom of the vessel.

Berges....................... ,...209/21l Benham Boudreaux et al.....................55/421 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure GAS a LIOUID 0urPATENTEDAPR 1 01m GAS a L/OU/D OUT NTOR.

NEE-LY E LOWE/E A TTORNEY SEPARATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Fieldof the Invention The present invention relates to separating thecomponents of a mixture of fluidized material by centrifugal and inertiaforces. More particularly, the invention relates to removing solidmaterial, such as sand, from oil well production.

2. Description of the Prior Art The physical production from an oil wellcan range from substantially pure liquid hydrocarbons to combinations ofwater, gas, liquid and solid material generally referred to as sand.Even the solid material can be handled as fluidized material. Obviously,if a mixture of these various phases can reside in one location, gravityseparation will take place to some degree. It is a standard object inthe oil and gas industry to reduce the time of separation to reduce thetime the products of the well are handled.

Oil well production mixtures have had sand centrifuged from them. Butthe power to drive the cen trifuge pump is considerable. There is needfor an arrangement in which the energy of the well stream can be used togenerate centrifugal and inertial forces on the components of the streamto force their separation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention contemplates directing anoil well production stream upon the interior walls of a verticallyextended cylindrical vessel and in a flow path of predetermined size togenerate a centrifugal force upon the mixture of the stream to shift theheavier phase of the mixture to the wall. The flow direction of thelighter phase of the mixture is then abruptly changed from downwardly inthe flow path to upwardly in utilizing the force of inertia uponresidual heavier phase material to continue separation, the lighterphase material being removed at a point above the abrupt, upward changeof direction.

Other objects, advantages and features of this invention will becomeapparent to one skilled in the art upon consideration of the writtenspecification, appended claims, and attached drawing, wherein;

The drawing is a sectioned elevation of a vessel whose internalstructure embodies the invention.

In the drawing, the shell of a separator vessel is de picted at 1. Thisis a simple, vertical. cylinder. The interior of the vessel isaccessible for cleaning and inspection through manway 2. The completeunit is mounted on a base 3.

The separator vessel is part of an elaborate system for handling oilproduction as it flows from a well. Several operations are performed onthe production. We are presently concerned with only the relativelysimple step of removing heavier material from the production prior toother operations. It is within this shell 1 that the energy of the wellstreamis employed to generate the centrifugal and inertial forces whichbring about the desired separation.

The mixture of the oil well production flows into the shell, throughinlet 4. Within the shell 1 a diverter 6 structure 5 15 mounted over theinlet to divert all of the production into a flow path along theinterior wall of the shell.

Directly below the diverter 5 is a vertical passageway 6 which is sizedto increase the velocity of the production flowing along the interiorwall of the shell. Specifically, this passageway is formed by apartition spaced from the internal surface of the shell. Morespecifically, this partition is the vertical wall 7 of inverted cup 8.

Outlet conduit 9 extends as a. conduit 10 up the center of shell 1 andterminates near the top of the shell interior. Passages, or openings, 11are arranged in the side of conduit 9 to communicate the upper portionof cup 8 with conduit 10. The open top of conduit 10 communicates withthe upper portion of shell 1.

The operation of this arrangement of structure disclosed in the drawingis now readily understood. It is already set forth how the mixture ofproduction fluids is brought into the shell 1 and centrifuged on theinterior wall of the shell by the diverter 5. The liquids and solids ofthe mixture descend. The gaseous fluids largely disengage and flow tothe upper portion of the shell 1 and into outlet conduit 10.

The mixture of liquids and solids flow into passage 6 which is sized toestablish a predetermined velocity for the downwardly flowing mixturewhich is being simul taneously centrifuged. The mixture discharges fromthe lower end of passage 6. The solids in the mixture, as the heavierphase, are forced to the vessel wall by the centrifugal force generatedby the energy of the well stream and the diverter 5. The release of thefluids from the passage 6, and the provision of passages 11 to inlet 9,cause the lighter material to suddenly reverse their direction to flowupward. This sudden change of direction for the liquids and thecentrifugal and inertial forces on the solids brings about a separationof the solid material from the lighter material. The inertial forces onthe solid material cause it to continue its descent to the bottom ofvessel 1. The disengaged lighter liquids flow upward for removal throughoutlet conduit 9.

Of course, gas from the upper portion of the vessel also flows outoutlet conduit 9, joining the liquids from which the solids areseparated. The solids collect in the bottom of the vessel and areremoved by suitable jets 12.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forth,together with other advantages which are obvious and inherent to theapparatus.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and iswithin the scope of theinvention.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to beinterpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A separator to remove solids from oil well production, including,

a vessel with side walls extended vertically and having top and bottomwalls and providing an internal surface which is cylindrical andvertically extended,

means including an entrance through the vessel side walls through whichis flowed production containing solids over the internal surface todevelop centrifugal force upon the solids which drives the solids to theinternal surface and along which they descend by gravity,

a conduit mounted within the vessel to extend axially within the vesseland providing a first opening at its upper end within the vessel abovethe entrance for production and a second opening below the entrance forproduction and extending its lower end external of the vessel,

and a cup-like chamber opening downwardly and mounted on the conduitbetween the first and second opening and below the entrance forproduction, its external side wall extending parallel to the internalvessel surface and spaced a predetermined distance therefrom to form apassageway sized to increase the velocity of the liquids and solidsflowing downwardly and an outlet for solids from the vessel,

whereby gas of the production separates from the

1. A separator to remove solids from oil well production, including, avessel with side walls extended vertically and having top and bottomwalls and providing an internal surface which is cylindrical andvertically extended, means including an entrance through the vessel sidewalls through which is flowed production containing solids over theinternal surface to develop centrifugal force upon the solids whichdrives the solids to the internal surface and along which they descendby gravity, a conduit mounted within the vessel to extend axially withinthe vessel and providing a first opening at its upper end within thevessel above the entrance for production and a Second opening below theentrance for production and extending its lower end external of thevessel, and a cup-like chamber opening downwardly and mounted on theconduit between the first and second opening and below the entrance forproduction, its external side wall extending parallel to the internalvessel surface and spaced a predetermined distance therefrom to form apassageway sized to increase the velocity of the liquids and solidsflowing downwardly and an outlet for solids from the vessel, whereby gasof the production separates from the liquids above the cup-like chamberto enter the first opening and flow down the conduit to join thesolid-free liquids flowing into the second opening after having floweddownward from the passageway and reversing to flow up into thedownwardly opening cup-like chamber to the second conduit opening, thesolids continuing to flow downward in separation from the liquids.